Refrigeration, Diets and Human Health: Evidence from Ghana
Monday, November 3rd at 12:00 pm an hybrid EIEE Seminar-Webinar will be held by Francois Cohen.
Francois will present the working paper: “Refrigeration, Diets and Human Health: Evidence from Ghana” (Enoch Ntsiful and Francois Cohen, Chair of Energy Sustainability, Institute of Economics of Barcelona, University of Barcelona).
Abstract: Little is known about household-level interventions to strengthen resilience to food insecurity. Rapid electrification could enable refrigeration and transform how food is stored, prepared, and consumed. We provide the first causal evidence on how access to refrigeration affects food insecurity and dietary quality in a low-income country. Our identification exploits appliance breakdowns, comparing households with functioning and broken refrigerators purchased at the same time and similar prices. Losing access to refrigeration increases food insecurity by one third and reduces consumption of animal-sourced foods, lowering intake of vitamin B12. Refrigeration is an overlooked lever to improve diets and reduce micronutrient deficiencies.
Registration required: https://cmcc-it.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EIXiXpEhTKO7F8Brce-XRw
